Mozilla has released Firefox 52.0 and the distribution through the update channel has started.

Why do we mention this here? Because it can have a big impact on everyone using Vibe and everyone using older versions of Filr!

Firefox 52.0 drops support for all NPAPI plugins except Flash (NPAPI is the Netscape Plugin API). This means that not only plugins like the Adobe Reader plugin, the Shockwave Player and Silverlight cease to work, but most importantly, there is no Java Plugin anymore, so no chance to run Java Applets. Firefox gives no message about this, Applets silently fail to launch. The Extended Support Release of Firefox (v52.0 ESR) will still support NPAPI plugins until around March 2018.

What is the impact of this change on Vibe and Filr? Both products rely on Applets for some of their functions. Due to Chrome dropping Java some time ago, the “Edit this File” function has been switched over from applet to Java Web Start in Vibe 4.0.2 and in Filr 3.1, so if you run these or newer versions, then that one function is still working for you. The other Applet functions in Vibe, being the workflow viewer/designer and the file upload applet (Vibe and Filr), do not work anymore, except in the Firefox ESR releases.

If this situation changes, we will inform you here at our site.

If you run an older version of Vibe, then just contact us about helping you with the upgrade – remember, the upgrade from Vibe 3.x to Vibe 4.0 is not without pitfalls!

If you need to upgrade Filr, there is still a chance to take advantage of the free license upgrade to the Filr Advanced Edition! Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information, we’re looking forward to supporting you in your endeavours.